Review: The Great Shawarma Shootout 2, Lokhandwala Edition

The quest continues. Where do you get the best Shawarma in Bombay? In the first Great Shawarma Shootout we tried a number of places in Bandra. This time, we visited the suburb and vicinity of Lokhandwala to see if we could find Bombay's Best Shawarma.

Accompanying me on this review is the venerable Mr. Joydas Mukherjee. For safety reasons we brought along Dr. Shardul, just in case the food really turned out wrong.

As you know, we are straight shooters on this blog. We say it like we taste it. Thus for security purposes His Lordship accompanied us.

(I lie, we brought him along because he looks so damn cute.)

As with the last Shawarma Shootout the rules stay the same. What makes a good Shawarma? The Shawarma is ultimately a cousin to that most versatile of dishes , the sandwich. It is impossible to narrow down to what is an absolutely bare-bones traditional recipe. The standard in Bombay is to have the slices of chicken over pita bread, with sour cream, hummus, potato, beetroot and any additional spices. This varies slightly with the traditional Shawarma that might also have extra Tahini (though the hummus should contain that), Olives, even cucumber and tomato at times.
To narrow down the parameters we decided that most basic rule should be "No Indian Spicy Taste!". It is too easy to compromise, throw in a host of spices to appease the local palate and lose touch with the roots. It is for this reason we did not try any of the "Spicy Shawarmas". 

1) Zus Sizzlers, Lokhandwala

We began this shootout at the rather popular Zu's eatery. It looks like a nice vibrant place. Technically it makes Sizzlers, and only sources its Shawarmas from the next door Fanoos. However since someone said they have common ownership, we decided to treat them as the same. 

(Joydas with our first Shawarma of the evening)

The first thing we noticed about this Shawarma was the overuse of garlic. This particular theme seemed constant throughout all the joints in Lokhandwala which was quite intriguing. The chicken was a bit dry, but the bread was alright. It was a bland Shawarma, nothing to write home about. No outstanding textures, no flavourful tastes. 

Joydas: 2/10

Me:3/10

Overall: 3/10

2) Toss & Grill, Lokhandwala

This is a tiny little place near the entrance to Lokhandwala market. They have an extensive range of Shawarmas, which is not necessarily a good thing. There was something called a "Prawn Shawarma" on the menu which I honestly shudder to even think about tasting. Well, maybe one day I will get the strength of will to give it a try. 

First things first, the chicken was delicious. It was perfectly cooked. It was juicy. It was absolutely mouth wateringly delicious. I don't know if they got lucky, or they served the food bloggers the best piece of chicken they have managed all day, or if they are consistently that good. But I cannot say it enough, the chicken was delicious. 

The rest of the shawarma sadly did not match the same standards. The fries were not crispy and were a little bland, there was a hint of too much garlic (just a hint), and it needed some more crisp lettuce in the roll. However the chicken was the reason we scored this place pretty highly. 

Joydas: 5

Me: 5

Overall Score: 5

3) Lebanese Point, Lokhandwala

This is in the middle of Lokhandwala market. We went there with much trepidation. It is part of a chain, and the one in Khar had left us quite unimpressed. But, as dedicated bloggers, we decided it was our duty to give them a second shot. Maybe this outlet can manage what Khar couldnt?.

 

They fared worse. The lesser I say about this shawarma the better. Way too much garlic, the chicken tasted dry, old, overcooked, and the bread was raw. 

As you can see, the cream is more like curdled milk.We could not finish the roll, and Joydas refuses to even rate it. I have decided to be very very generous and give it a 1. 

Joydas: Refused to acknowledge its existance. 

Me: 1

Overall: 1 (only because I am being very very generous). 

4) Dhuan, Versova.

 

 

This place looks interesting. Thanks to the odd font in the name, it took me a while to read what was written. It has an extensive menu of lebanese dishes, and it definitely should merit a review someday. However, their Shawarma section has two different items. One is a regular Shawarma, and the other is a Hummus Shawarma. This posed a bit of a quandry as to which one to order since a traditional Shawarma should contain hummus. We finally decided to go with the normal Chicken Shawarma and see how the restaurant has interpreted this roll. 

What you are seeing in the picture is half the roll. As you can see, Mr. Joydas had greedily stolen his half before the picture could be taken. The other thing you are seeing is the abundance of vegetables. This wasnt merely on the plate, it was within the shawarma too. We have Carrots, Beet, Radish, Jalapenos. The second odd thing about the cream you can see, is that it is not sour cream. It was a garlic butter/paste. So the basic shawarma contained no hummus, no sour cream, no tahini, no olives, no lettuce. It is an interesting take on the roll, but we were hard pressed to call it a Shawarma on first sight.

As far as the taste goes, the first bite was quite good. As a "chicken roll" it would be rated quite highly. But if we go by the rules set at the start of the shootout, it has its weaknesses. The chicken was juicy, but the juice was olive oil. I have never eaten a Shawarma that was as oily as this one. It left a huge coat of oil on our fingers. The chicken was also spiced intensely with Indian spices. This was definitely something that had been made to appeal to the local palate. A couple of bites in, the flavour of the garlic butter started overpowering the rest. It missed the sour cream and hummus that could have really worked beautifully to even out the flavour. 

However, the vegetables added a nice touch. Mr. Joydas was particularly flummoxed by the radish which brought an angle to the roll that we had not experienced before. If we had to rate it as a chicken roll, it would have unanimously been rated at a 6 or better. However as a shawarma, we had to rate it as:

Joydas: 4

Me:4

Overall score:4

Review: The Cheesecake Chase

Whilst we are still digesting the victims of the Shawarma Shootout, Mr. Joydas recommended that we start a new contest. The topic, Cheesecake.



Ok, so that is not one of the cheesecakes we reviewed. That was an attempt by me to make a baked cheesecake. Almost there. When the recipe is perfected, that is when it shall be put up. It did however give me some experience for the upcoming contest.
My Co-taster in this event is again the venerable Mr. Joydas Mukherjee.

(As usual, this is also a work in progress. As we get to taste more, we shall review more.)

1. Theobroma, Colaba
2. Woodside Inn, Colaba

1) Theobroma, Colaba.

An ever popular hangout, we got a chance to review two of the cheesecakes here. The Blueberry Cheesecake and The Baked New York cheesecake

a) The Blueberry Cheesecake



This was disappointing. The texture was smooth, but it was neither fluffy enough nor dense enough. It was stuck somewhere in the center leaving you wondering what you are eating. The cheesecake lacked enough of a "cheesy" taste. The blueberry jam was also too sweet. The base was quite tasteless.

Joydas: 2.5
Me: 3
Average score: 3

b) The Baked New York Cheesecake



This was on the other end of the spectrum to the blueberry cheese cake. It was quite delicious. It is a baked lemon cheesecake with a helping of cream on top. Quite dense and cheesy, and yet it had a nice smooth texture. Easy to eat with a spoon and did not stick to the mouth. If there were a few shortcomings in it, it was that it could have had a tad more lemon and the base could have done with a bit more flavour.

Joydas: 6
Me: 6.5
Average score: 6.5

2) Woodside Inn, Colaba

Woodside Inn is quite a cozy place near Regal Cinema. I had never heard of it before but really liked the menu and the ambiance. I do plan on reviewing it completely for this blog today. Here we decided to try the Blueberry Cheesecake.



In an interesting touch, they serve it with a shot glass of Whipped cream and Blueberry. However, calling it a Blueberry Cheesecake is a bit misleading. If you are expecting a taste of Blueberries, you would be quite disappointed in this cake. However it was tasty enough that we instead decided to review it for what it actually is, a Baked Lemon Cheesecake.
As a Baked Lemon Cheesecake it was quite outstanding. For one, they served it nice and warm which does add quite a bit to the flavour. I feel however that they put it in an oven to warm and bring to us and hence it was still cold in the centre of the cake. I wonder if microwaving it would have helped.
The density and the texture was perfect. It was heavy, cheesy with a healthy taste of lemon. The sweetness was almost perfect. Even the Blueberry Jam that they used in parts of the cake was not too sweet and complimented the taste.

As a Blueberry Cheesecake we would have given it barely a 3 as we couldnt taste any blueberries for most of the cake, however as a Baked Lemon Cheesecake:

Joydas: 8
Me: 7.5
Average Score: 8

Review: The Great Shawarma Shootout

Where do you get the best Shawarma in Bombay? It is a question that many of us have pondered. It has kept me awake at nights with a rumbling stomach. No More.We have decided to test and review the best Shawarmas in Bombay and arrive at the true King.



My co-critic in this shootout shall be the venerable Mr. Joydas Mukherjee. A Bengali who was born in the wrong clan, he is an avid foodie and a seeker of authentic tastes.



Now before that, we need to arrive at what makes a good Shawarma. As the Shawarma is ultimately a cousin to that most versatile of dishes , the sandwich, it is impossible to narrow down to what is an absolutely bare-bones traditional recipe. The standard in Bombay is to have the slices of chicken over pita bread, with sour cream, hummus, potato, beetroot and any additional spices. This varies slightly with the traditional Shawarma that might also have extra Tahini (though the hummus should contain that), Olives, even cucumber and tomato at times.
To narrow down the parameters we decided that most basic rule should be "No Indian Spicy Taste!". It is too easy to compromise, throw in a host of spices to appease the local palate and lose touch with the roots. It is for this reason we did not try any of the "Spicy Shawarmas". The rest we decided to play by ear.

(This list is a work in progress. If you have any places to recommend, we will add to this list).

1. Lebanese Point, Khar
2. Carter's Blue, Bandra
3. Maroosh, Bandra

1) Lebanese Point , Khar



It was a bit of a task finding this place as the Banner was hidden away under a tarpaulin. It is somewhere near the junction of Khar-Dhanda and 17th Road. We had the options of ordering a number of "Spicy" Shawarmas here, but the plain "Chicken Shawarma" seemed the only authentic bet.



It was a disappointment. I found a piece of bone in my first bite. The taste was non-existant. It has hard to put chicken, potatoes, hummus and sour cream in a pita and achieve no taste whatsoever. They managed that. Whilst the chicken was well done, there was no flavour of the hummus. The potatoes were mashed and put in and needed salt. The sour cream tasted like mayo.

Mr. Mukherjee: 2.5/10
Me : 3/10

Average Score (rounded up): 3/10

2) Carter's Blue, Bandra



This is one of my old favourites. At the junction of Carter Road and that road lined with all the restaurants (I just cannot find the name. If anyone knows it, do let me know and I will update). This was going to be a battle between me and Mr. Mukherjee who prefers Maroosh.
Here we ordered the Special Chicken Shawarma. The difference between that and the normal chicken seems to be the addition of Olives. As this would only increase the authenticity of Shawarma, we decided to branch away from the standard Chicken variety here.



Sadly, in my opinion, it wasn't up to their usual standards. However there are no second chances in the shootout and we will score what we get. That being said, it still was not a bad Shawarma. The hummus was missing in flavour a little, but the chicken was nice and juicy and they still have one of the best sour creams I have had. Even though it was the Special Shawarma, I think they scrimped on the Olives this time.

Joydas: 5.5/10
Me: 6/10

Average Score: 6/10

3) Maroosh, Bandra



This is one of Mr. Mukherjee's favourites and one that I haven't had the opportunity of trying before. A hop-skip and a jump away from Carter's Blue, it was going to be a battle of titans. Here we ordered the standard Chicken Shawarma.



This was a good Shawarma but it lost a little on the Spice front. The texture was fantastic. The fries were crunchy and the chicken juicy. however, they had added too many Indian spices. The taste of red pepper overwhelmed any other flavours. While the texture of the sour cream was good, it wasn't sour enough and felt like they had added lemon juice onto normal cream in a hurry.

Joydas: 6/10
Me: 6/10

Average Score: 6/10

(Keep following as we try more )

Review: Café Basilico (Pali naka, Bandra)

Going to Bangkok in November meant I had to miss the wedding of a dear friend of mine. Suffice to say I owed it to them to take him and his new bride out to dinner. Her choice of cuisine (Italian), my choice of restaurant. There are a number of Italian restaurants in Bandra, and I hope to get the opportunity to review all of them in the due course of time, but for this occasion I decided on an old favourite, Café Basilico at Pali Naka.

Index:

1. Introduction
   
2. Appetizers
3. Main Course
4. Desserts
5. Final Scores

I remember traveling all the way to Colaba to enjoy some of the deserts and thus was overjoyed when they opened up a branch closer to where I live. Whilst it does serve a healthy choice of Italian dishes, the fare also contains Mediterranean and fusion cuisine. They change the menu quite often, but tend to stay within the boundaries of tastes and themes that have made it a very popular joint, especially amongst the glitterati of Bandra. The dishes however, are not unique. They follow the tried tested theme that can be found in many so called "Deli's" in the city, including Indigo and Yellow Tree. You are going to find a mix of Sandwiches, some pastas, a few grilled/poached meats, and a variety of fruity drinks. So why do I frequent the place? It's more for the consistency in the quality of the food than any wow factor. I have rarely eaten a meal at Café Basilico (in fact never) and left with a frown on my face.

Regretfully, due to the traffic in Bandra, I ended up reaching a fair 10 minutes late. By the time I reached our table, my hungry friends had ordered some garlic bread which arrived along with me.



This would receive an 9/10 from me. The crust was crisp. The center, soft and juicy. The hint of cheese and herbs complimented the healthy dose of peppers. The garlic flavour was a tad on the lower side, but that could just personal preference. Though it is listed as a side dish, it turned out to be an appetite building appetizer.

As a second appetizer, we ordered a helping of the Hummus with Pine nuts.



They have tried an interesting twist on the Pita bread by serving it toasted in an unorthodox shape. I don't think it had a significant impact on the flavour, but it definitely made scooping and eating the hummus much easier. The hummus itself had pine nuts layered on top, and I could taste a hint of them within. This however did not enhance the taste. Whilst the Hummus was creamy, it lacked the intensity of the Chick peas. The flavour was too mellow, and I feel you could attribute that to the Pine Nuts, and a slight lack of both olive oil and lemon. This received a 7/10 from me.

For main courses, we decided on a dish each. True to her desire to eat Italian, she ordered a Penne in a Paprika Cream sauce with vegetables.



To be bluntly honest, this was a disappointment. The vegetables were fresh and well cooked, but that was the dish's only redeeming quality. The Penne was a bit underdone and the sauce lacked flavour. When you read the words "Paprika sauce" you assume a spicy undertone to the creamy sauce. However I would not even call the sauce 'mild'. It completely lacked flavour. It was almost like a white cream sauce, with a hint of basil. Overall, I would give the dish a 5/10.

The latest menu of Café Basilico allows you to pick the sauces and the side with your meat dishes. This is innovative and allows for regulars to try their favourite dishes with a variety of flavours, however I was left cold by it. I would still prefer the chef to pick the best sauce (or give an option of 2) to go with the dish, rather than leaving me with an overwhelming choice of 10.
My friend asked me to recommend him something in chicken, and I recommended one of my old favourites. The pepper crusted chicken. For a sauce we were recommended the Pepper garlic sauce. For a side we went with Cheesy french fries.



This was purely delicious. The chicken was roasted perfectly. The sauce has the taste of fresh ground pepper in it which went deliciously with the pepper on the chicken. The vegetables again were fresh and marinated to perfection. The cheese on the fries had a hint of garlic to it which refreshed the mouth for another bite of the chicken. Rating: 10/10.

My own choice for a main dish was the Red wine poached Beef. I was recommended a Reduced red wine sauce with it, and I chose Garlic mashed potatos as my side.



On a side note, I need to point out the recommendations that were given along with the dishes. If you notice, the pepper chicken was recommended a pepper garlic sauce, and the wine poached beef was recommended with a reduced red wine sauce. This, in my opinion, is a necessary to allow for a cohesiveness of flavours between the meat and the sauce. The slightly sweeter red wine sauce would never have matched with the peppery chicken. Thus offering all 10 sauces with all 10 meats, whilst allowing you as many as 100 different flavours, is going to also lead to a lot of mismatched dishes.
Coming back to my meal, the beef was slightly chewy. However, I may have by error overstressed how well done I wanted the meat, and hence I will not deduct points on that basis. It did however need to be poached in a better red wine. The flavour of the wine was too subtle on my tongue. The sauce was sweet and thick. The garlic mashed potatos were creamy and divine. I would overall rate it at a 7/10.

Overall the main course was interesting. I was lucky that I was able to divert her attention from her insipid pasta by regaling her with college stories of my buddy and me. A lot of the stories did involve food, but it was more about how we drove a chinese restaurant bankrupt (they offered a USD $5.99 unlimited buffet).

When it came time to pick desserts, her choice was a piece of Chocolate ecstasy cake.



I would rate this a 7/10. It was a case of 'could haves'. It could have been a little softer, a little sweeter. It had too much chocolate without the richness of the taste. An addition of milk chocolate would have helped.

My friend, on my recommendation, chose the Blueberry cheese cake.



This is one of the better blueberry cheese cakes that I have tasted in Bombay. Its quite soft, creamy and a rich taste of both the blueberries and the cheese can be had. Some feel the crust is a bit salty, but it pleases my palate and goes well with the subdued sweetness of the cake. Rating: 8/10.

We now come to my personal favourite dessert. This was the cake for which I have often driven all the way to Colaba from the Bombay suburbs. The Gooey Chocolate Torte.



This is when I need to let out a big sigh of disappointment. When your hopes are set high, the slightest change in taste leads to a lot of disappointment. If I had to review it objectively, it is still a delicious torte. However the real taste of it comes out when they heat it to perfection and the insides start being gooey and oozing out the sides. As you can see above, it isn't. If you do visit Basilico and the torte is not heated enough, do send it back. I would have to rate the improperly heated torte at a 7/10.


As far as the restaurant goes, I like the ambiance. The tables are large, it feels spacious even the are inside is quite small. Sitting outside in the winter is a charming experience. The service can be a bit slow though. It can also be a bit hard to get hold of the server's attention. However the staff themselves are quite courteous and knowledgeable about the food they are serving. each dish is tastefully served. They pay a lot of attention to the aesthetics which is expected in a place of its caliber. It is not a budget restaurant. You can assume a meal for two, with an appetizer, two main courses, desserts, and two non alcoholic drinks coming to around 1700-1900.

Review of the Dishes:

Garlic bread: 9/10
Hummus with Pine Nuts: 7/10
Penne in paprika cream sauce: 5/10
Pepper Crusted chicken in garlic pepper sauce: 10/10
Beef poached in red wine, with a reduced red wine sauce: 7/10
Chocolate ecstacy cake: 7/10
Blueberry cheese cake: 8/10
Gooey Chocolate Torte with ice cream: 7/10

Restaurant review:

Food: 7/10
Aesthetics of Food : 9/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Service: 7.5/10
Value for money: 6.5/10



Overall it was a good meal. It gave me an opportunity to finally meet my friend's wife. Her shocked expression at some of our college stories should have been added to my picture collection. We were celebrating a friendship which which spanned food where the cost was far more important than quality, where we celebrated life changing events by going to Hooters and having beer with chicken wings, where we fought over how to split the bill down to the penny, to now celebrating him moving onto the next step of his life at a classy restaurant in Bombay and fighting over who takes the check. To Deepak and Amrit. May you have a great life together.